Amber Inklings

We're back...

2012-01-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

Or we will be soon. Hope everyone's year is NEW and HAPPY!

Joyeux Noel

2011-12-21T09:49:00.000-05:00

Hoping your Christmas is warm yet bright

simple yet blingy

Just like ANGELA's card.

Joyeux Noel.

Yep. Still December.

2011-12-20T08:49:00.000-05:00

ASHLEY!

That means there is still time to play along with the SFYTT Challenge!

SFYTT!

Time for Cupcakes and a Christmas break!

2011-12-19T08:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it is the final countdown now.

Time for cake and a tall glass.

We're so excited to be sponsoring the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge

at this special time of year.

We knew the Sweeties would come up with something spectacular...

CHALLENGE 141!

We knew our girls would come up with something spectacular too...

KAIJA!

JENN!

No rush.

Plenny time.

This challenge will be held over until January 7th,

so even if this cake tempts you after New Year's,

it is zero calories and you can still play.

In the meantime,

we'll have a couple of more posts for you

and then will take a little break until after the holidays too.

Hope yours is looking Merry and Bright.

Pinny Party #4

2011-12-17T05:14:00.004-05:00

A few guidelines:

Our link parties are Saturday and Sunday only (it's a weekend thing).
Please make sure that there is paper in your project.
Please use a direct link to your party entry.
Please credit the rePin from PINTEREST and put a photo of it in your post.
Whenever possible, visit each other's blogs to comment.

------------------------

Congratulations to Michelle who won our 3rd Pinny Party.

This was her copy cat project -

From this:

to this:

Michelle won $5 worth of ipaper!

-------------------------

My repin today comes from Teresa Jenkins

originally from Moey's Heart and Hearth

So come on...

You know you see something on Pinterest and think

"Oh WOW...I could do that...and it would look awesome,

and people would admire me near and far."

That is why I love these Pinny parties.

They humble me,

but hey...I still feel good about myself for trying.

Not like some people who just pin and pin and pin :D

But I digress.

Now for the humble part...

So, since our Pinny Parties require the use of paper,

you are now wondering - where's the ~~beef~~ paper?

Here it is:

The reason why I thought that maybe I could even attempt

this project in the first place is that you TRACE!

Just size up a coloring page, or a digi stamp in this case

and tape it upside down to a piece of glass

(like take a piece of glass out of a picture frame)

then flip it over and tape a piece of wax paper to the other side.

So it goes:

image

glass

wax paper

(Keep in mind that the final product will be a reverse image)

Make sure you have a yummy cake.

You can cheat if you want to

like some people do and buy your cake from Costco.

Just cover the top with some white icing

and unassuming people will think that you are

Martha Frickin Stewart!

Next on to the drawing part.

Pipe the outline FIRST

and then color over that.

Do not follow my example.

Follow the expert example of the original pin.

See all those wormy lines?

Don't do it.

No, No, NO.

You will get a wormy elf. Ick.

Smooth it out or use a big icing tip.

Put your smooth, pretty icing artwork into the freezer

(check to make sure your glass picture frame will fit before you start)

and you will leave it there - glass and all - for about 15 minutes.

With incredible finesse and skill you will now flip it onto your cake.

It is frozen and hard, so aim well and pray.

Once that puppy has landed,

peel off the wax paper

and stand all amazed.

Kind of.

If it doesn't work,

you can always send it to cake wrecks.

Okay.

Your turn.

One random winner gets a $5 gift certificate.

For what?

More paper of course.

-------------------------

Just EIGHT more days...

2011-12-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

Can you hardly WAIT?

After waiting all the year long it is FINALLY here!

Oh wait...

did you think we were talking about Christmas?

well yes, there's that too.

But what we really mean is...

IT IS FINALLY THE GRAND PRIZE SFYTT DRAWING!!!!!

noon.

December 25th!

Have you religiously entered the sketch every month?

Like December's perhaps?

Here are a couple of our unbiased favorites...

ALYSSA!

MICHELE!

Hopefully you are in the running and if not,

it's almost the new year and time for

a fresh start. SFYTT is on a deja vu track.

One sketch a month for 2012.

One grand prize drawing next Christmas.

In glancing through the family album

I think this was our favorite sketch last year...

Hmmmm....I wonder why?

---- SFYTT March 2011----

Control your ELF!

2011-12-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Actually, that may not be possible.

Especially when it comes to chocolate :D

KAIJA!

SHIRL!

Yep! Sure is getting sweet around here.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

WOYWW - Prepping for a Pinny Party!

2011-12-14T00:28:00.002-05:00

Amber here.
Forgive the Sunflower.
He may not be seasonally appropriate
but the idea of taking him down to make way for Christmas lights
nearly broke my little heart.
Ahhhhh..just look at that face.

Pinny Party on Saturday.

Whoo Hoo!

Not divulging what this is I'm working on quite yet.

Still trying to figure it out myself.

Guesses?

Shhhhh.

Mom will take the Saturday Pinny Party lead w/me faddo's bday cake project.

Stay tuned.

Hope you all are fab.

Pretty sure Queen Julia is fab

since there is always so much love and adoration

heading her way

@ http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

P.S. Early apologies girls. NYC est and after a night of looking at

NYC Christmas windows all night w/me outta town Auntie, I'm hitting the hay.

Promise to catch up tomorrow!

Summertime to Christmas

2011-12-13T10:16:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we focused on the talent of turning Halloween into Christmas.

Go look.

Talent realized.

Today we will focus on turning Summertime into Christmas.

Schedule a moment or two.

JENN!

And now a visit from the ghost of Christmas Past...

Shopkeeper Gal!

WENDY!

Kerri!

EMILY!

WENDY!

JULIA!

So check your images.

Check them twice.

Make sure you have some

Santa hats

Christmas Sentiments

Holiday colors

and glitter.

And you too can turn Summertime into Christmas.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

The Kiddos for Christmas.

2011-12-12T10:12:00.001-05:00

True creatives can take a line and turn it into something note worthy.

It's a talent.

Amber is kinda known for her "scribble drawings".

Actually if you google "scribble drawings" you'll get a lot of Amber.

Mark that down as another thing we love about stampers and scrappers.

They can take one thing

and turn it in to something else note worthy.

It's a talent.

Take Kaija.

Look how she turned Halloween in to Christmas...

KAIJA!

Come back tomorrow and we'll show you

how you can take Summertime

and turn it into Christmas.

It's a talent.

Pinny Party #3

2011-12-10T09:57:00.002-05:00

A few guidelines:

Our link parties are Saturday and Sunday only (it's a weekend thing).
Please make sure that there is paper in your project.
Please use a direct link to your party entry.
Please credit the rePin from PINTEREST and put a photo of it in your post.
Whenever possible, visit each other's blogs to comment.

-------------------------

My repin today came from Marcy Hoggard

originally from Kojo Designs

My project today proves that it takes almost no time

and I mean 10 minutes or less to recreate some of your pins.

I started this last night at 10 pm an finished by 10:09.

Frankly, it looks like something I would have made at Girl's Camp.

But the recipient loved it and it made the presentation

a little more festive than throwing a box of tea at her.

Everything was on hand.

Scraps of ipaper from earlier projects.

Clothes pins.

Glue.

A box of tea I purchased at the store earlier in the day.

Full instructions are on the original pin.

Easy peasy.

Okay.

Your turn.

One random winner gets a $5 gift certificate.

For what?

More paper of course.

Are you're out of time?

2011-12-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

Think again!

Everybody knows you make gorgeous cards right?

Everybody expects a hand made card if it is coming from your house.

But...the kids are sick, the house is a wreck, deadlines are looming.

Ack!

Here's our latest magic button...

Go ahead. Press it!

It's there. Right behind the "shop" button.

Our new DIY printables section will be filling up with really cool stuff.

To make life easier.

Sometimes you just don't have time to color.

Sometimes you really want to color.

Now you'll have a choice.

You know we always love testimonials.

Here's one from Ashley...

I choose the printable because it's SO easy, just print and you're ready to create. Now, I do love to color but sometimes it's nice to to just have something done FAST!

ASHLEY!

And again...

Since the kids have been sick, I haven't really had time to color so this DIY Printable came to my rescue! Woohoo!

ASHLEY!

The special handmade touches are still there.

But Ashley has simplified.

Ashley is one savvy girl!

Amber Ink products used in this post:

It's raining elfs and elfs!

2011-12-07T17:53:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much for joining in on all the fun

at our Amber Ink 2nd annual holiday blog hop!

Time to announce some winners!

to Melissa C. a snow angel elf

to Angela k a regrets elf

to Esther a regrets elf

to Melissa C a presenting elf

to Erika Owens a nocs elf

coming your way soon an Elf on the Shelf

to Lucianna an Elf on the Shelf

to Tanny P an Elf on the Shelf

to Diane Clarke Sutton a yoga elf

to Lucianna a regrets elf

to Erika Owens a prayer elf

to Michelle B a nocs elf

to Savannah O'Gwynn a regrets elf

to Diane a Have a sat elf

to Michelle B a yoga elf

to Tanny P a yoga elf

to Debra M a nocs elf

to Christine Pennington a regrets elf

to Barbara mother/daughter an elf on the shelf

to Melissa C a have a sat printable

Debra Hensley an elf on the shelf

to Tanny P a presents elf

And from the Amber Ink comments, the winner was Starla B.

-------------------------

We put all of those winners in to a hat held by a Mr. Rand M. Org

and the winner for the Elf in the Shelf gift set

is....

LUCIANNA!!!!

Let us know what you name him!

Coming your way via Amber Ink via the North Pole via Amazon shortly.

Thanks for playing everyone.

There are still plenty of elves left to adopt.

Welcome to our SECOND annual Amber Ink Holiday blog hop!

2011-12-05T10:00:00.021-05:00

Comments remain open through December 6th for your chance to win!

This year our alumni are tapping in to their inner elves for some frolic and fun.

We’ve made our list but you’ll probably want to check it twice.

Or check it thrice. We just don’t know who’ll be naughty or nice.

There are 23 commenting spots to be precise,

And 23 prizes to help entice.

So see those badges down below?

Roll the dice. Let elf magic flow…

Hop on Monday,

Hop on Tuesday,

If you're feeling lucky,

You might even get a prize on Wednesday.

One Grand Prize winner will receive an Elf on the Shelf gift set, so be sure to visit every single elfin spot. The final list will be sent to Santa himself, so remember...

the only person you are really competing against is your elf!

Stay calm and blog hop on!

-----
We're crashing these parties!

Pinny Party #2

2011-12-03T07:52:00.005-05:00

A few guidelines:

Our link parties are Saturday and Sunday only (it's a weekend thing).
Please make sure that there is paper in your project.
Please use a direct link to your party entry.
Please credit the rePin from PINTEREST and put a photo of it in your post.
Whenever possible, visit each other's blogs to comment.

-------------------------

Congratulations to Lindsey who won our 1st Pinny Party last week.

This was her copy cat project -

From this:

to this:

Great job Lindsey! You win $5 worth of ipaper!

-------------------------

My repin today is a combo deal.

Part 1 came via Kimberly Stokes

originally from Just a Girl.

and Part 2 came via Sarah Van Beveren

originally from Kim McCrary

Since the kids are all grow'd up, I liked the idea of an

activity based advent. Un grow'd up kids like toys and candy.

Hmmmm...maybe I'll throw in a few toys and candy for myself!

Anyhow...I also liked the wrapped matchbooks - so pretty.

My fridge is stainless...ever decide to stick a magnet to that? Hah!

I decided my mom's fridge needed a cheery Christmas makeover instead.

So here's the scoop.

I chose my supplies -

- Amber Ink ipapers printed on Kraft
- matchboxes - the cheap kind .
- round 1/4 " ceramic magnets
- odds and ends embellishments from my old stash.

Then I wrapped matchboxes and decorated them, glued a magnet to the back

and put the activities inside (checked the calendar and coordinated every doggone one)

and then I put a little brad on the side to make it like a drawer. See that green button? Cute right?

Finally and I mean finally

I arranged them on my mom's fridge.

And whatayaknow.

It turned in to an advent Christmas tree!

Sweet!

Okay.

Your turn.

One random winner gets a $5 gift certificate.

For what?

More paper of course.

The Elf on the Shelf is getting his magic!

2011-12-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

And you are invited!

For: YOU

Where: HERE

When: Monday, December 5th

Given by: Alumni Torchbearers

The Elf on the shelf lives with all the other elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus at the North Pole.

They dream of one day becoming adopted by a family so that they can get their magic.

They use that magic to watch the children by day and fly back to report to Santa by night.

They never can remember where their departure point was, so their landing can be a little awkward.

Our elves get their magic when they get their color .
These elves will be given their magic on Monday by our talented alumni.

What's a party without door prizes?

There will be plenty.

One lucky winner will receive...

An ELF on the Shelf Gift Set!!

You won't want to miss the party.

So mark your calendars.

And be there or be square!!!

Baby mermaids and new Torchbearers...

2011-12-01T10:39:00.001-05:00

still give us butterflies.

SHIRL!

JENN!

Prepping for our Pinny Party on Saturday.

Just make something with paper that inspires you on Pinterest.

Come back and link it up.

Be there or be square.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Are you missing Dancing with the Stars?

2011-11-30T11:35:00.000-05:00

Well be sad no more.

We've got Dancing gumdrop penguins!

Watch their rumba!

Watch their tango!

ASHLEY!

KAIJA!

And the judges scores...

10!

Amber Ink products used in this post:

WOYWW 130

2011-11-30T00:34:00.002-05:00

Well 130 perhaps for a precious few.
I wonder how many were with Julia from the beginning?

I did a quick scan.

Ours barely reaches Woyww 40 something.
But a precious 40 something it is.
Here's our latest from Amber Ink...

'nuff said.

Hope your week ahead is productive.
Julia helps us to mark the calendar
in one way or another.
Won't we always thank her for that.

On your mark...get set...

2011-11-29T09:03:00.001-05:00

GO!!!!

Catching the torch from Debra Miller...

They say that life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself. Angela Kelley has created a mighty fine life. After living in Oregon, Kansas and Finland, she has chosen to build her menagerie in Northern California where she has room for big love Patch the dog, four cats, a plethora of birds and fish, two adorable children and one love of her life. At this time of year you can find her baking lemon curd or shortbread, decorating the Christmas tree with the children, teaching her monthly paper-crafting and card making classes or using her talents to create store displays in her area. Just follow the map until you see this sign: Artistic Detours Then you'll know that you've arrived.

-------------------------

Catching the torch from Leigh Penner ...

This little girl dreamt of becoming a princess and Ashley N. Newell sure seems like royalty to us. If there is any doubt, just read her CV. You've seen her work frequently in publications, on crafting blogs and you tube. Talk about adhering, Ashley can Divine Twine tie it, love your tape it, or tie it in a pretty ribbon carousel bow. She met her husband at the age of 16 and he's been her shining knight ever since. Together they have two little princes charming, ages 4 and 2. If you need any more proof of Ashley's regality we can prove it - she doesn't do "outdoors", doesn't like her food touching and won't eat canned peas. There. Go and wish upon a star @ Ashley's Heart Hugs Design.

-------------------------

Catching the torch from Meredith Winston...

Stampin' Angel Jenn Borjeson is always first out of the gates and eager to fly to the highest cloud. She has a spunk and enthusiasm that might make you want to soar too. She comes from a big New England family and keeps up with two teenagers, a husband, the upstairs FIL, lots of cousins, aunts and uncles, an 8 year old big baby cat, freelance artwork, an abundance of Design Teams and a new job. Whew! She really does need wings, even if they're the buffalo boneless variety. Jenn loves color, whether it be in the form of colorful tattoos or prismas with mineral spirits. Sometimes you might even find this unconventional angel covered in glitter. You'll have to ask her for the explanation though. You don't have to bring your halo, but you're sure to leave with a spring to your step after a visit to http://stampinangeljenn.blogspot.com/.

-------------------------

Catching the torch from Jessica ...

Shirl is joining us from the Big Island of Hawaii. For the rest of us this might be a little difficult. By that we mean you might want to shield your eyes when you look at the current temperature gauge on the sidebar. 78 and partly cloudy. You'll find Shirl's blog to be warm and balmy too. It is filled with Aloha, from surfing cards to beach boy lyrics, money cards and graduations. This is Hawaii No Ka 'Oi . We hope you know the lingo, because we're talking BFF's, GF's, SBF's, SIL's, and DD's. We promise that the pictures will say 1000 words @ http://creationbyshirl.blogspot.com/

-------------------------

The days are getting dark and cold in Southern Finland, but the light is always shining on Kaija's work.

White lace and pearls, expert folds and watercolor...the kind of art that only happens when you have incredible talent and can't go outside to play. We are so fortunate to have Kaija running our torch in winter, when the warmth of chocolate or coffee and cream combined with an arctic light gives a pink incandescent glow to everything she creates. Her work will leave you oblivious of anything else. Go see Kaija at Kaija Everyday.blogspot.com

FIVE Photo Finishes!

2011-11-28T10:13:00.001-05:00

Absolutely Wonderful...

DEBRA!

JESSICA!

LEIGH!

MEREDITH!

PIPERTAJA!

Look at those projects!!!

And the people who made them are even more wonderful!

Guess what tomorrow is?

YEP...We're passing torches.

Come see who makes the catch!

Thanks also for thinking about our Pinny Party!

We sure had fun.

Every Saturday.

Here.

The winner for week #1...

LINDSEY

She'll be getting a $5 gift certificate for ipaper

so she can make more cool stuff for our Pinny Party!

Pinny Party #1

2011-11-26T06:00:00.006-05:00

A few guidelines:

Our link parties are Saturday and Sunday only (it's a weekend thing).
Please make sure that there is paper in your project.
Please link directly to your entry, not just to your blog.
Please credit the rePin from PINTEREST and put a photo of it in your post.
Whenever possible, visit each other's blogs to comment.

---------------------------------

My repin today comes from Wendy Price

I LOVE these straws and thought - hey...wonder if you can make those.

I couldn't find directions anywhere so time for an experiment.

While these work great for pixie sticks I wouldn't suggest sipping.

Not that they're toxic or anything. Flour and water glue.

I left one in water for 4 days and although the paper doesn't bleed

when you suck - it collapses. Sucks. Bet you could wrap it around a plastic straw

and it would work fine. Haven't been there or done that yet.

So here's the scoop...

Whoops - after step 5 let it dry. Could be 1 hour, could be overnight. Depends on where you live.

Voila! Edible pixie dust in a pixie stick.
The gourmet version is in Wendy's original pin.

Either way it's perfect for your little Elf on the Shelf!

Okay.

Your turn.

One random winner gets a $5 gift certificate.

For what?

More paper of course.
Elf images are HERE!

Pink, Blue, Bronze, Orange and Purple Friday!

2011-11-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

Way more fun than black.

LEIGH!

JESSICA!

DEBRA!

Maybe it is black Friday

It's our November Torchbearer's last day.

Oh, not rain. Just tears.

Tomorrow is our First ever Pinny Party though.

That should take our minds off of it.

Be sure to make something with paper that you've pinned on Pinterest.

Come back tomorrow and link it up.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:13:00.001-05:00

Okay...Here are a couple of firsts for me.

My mom got a hankerin' for mincemeat pie.

I figure since she is 89 and still a joy

I will cave.

Yep - using her recipe (mincemeat, lemon jello and cream cheese...say what?)

I think it will be right up there with liver and onions,

but according to Dhubs, put enough whip cream on anything

and it will taste alright.

Another first...

Decided to do a trial run on our Pinny Party.

Since I am finally a participant I thought I'd make a go of it.

It is Thanksgiving. No one should complain.

We should be giving thanks people!

So, I pinned these...

Via Melanie Kropf from http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/

Then I picked some funky pink and purple ipaper

Then I cheated a little (sorry) since I don't have the proper tools -

but you should use the proper tools.
You can SO tell the difference

in that mine are wobbly and not worthy.

But it is my first and it is Thanksgiving.

So here are my fat little birds sitting on the window ledge.

And here is a fat little bird on the table.

I paired this ~~puppy~~ turkey with Haviland and gold cutlery.

Next I sat a pink plastic plate ala turkey on top of pink Fostoria Versaille dessert glasses

(thank you grandmother) with hand inscribed ipaper name tags.

Throw in a little dollar store gift shred

and man o man...looks like a million bucks!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Hope to see you at our pinny party on Saturday.

In the meantime...that mincemeat pie is calling me...

NOT!

WOYWW 129!

2011-11-23T06:00:00.003-05:00

Okay.

We'll play.

The elves are about and mischief is in the air.

Nuff said.

Are you a fellow Pinterest addict?
If you are, then bookmark us and come back on Saturday to play.
We are starting a new link up party.

Just find something you've pinned using paper.
Make it your way.
Blog it your way.
Come back and link it.

Nothing like an addiction with a purpose.
If you're not a Pinnychic yet, run over and get an invite, so you're ready on the big day!

Want more of the really good stuff?

Check out the fairy queen's blog herself

@ http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

How does JLo unwind after the AMA awards?

2011-11-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

Well it was the whole thing she was singing about!!!

You get down on the FLO (floor)

You work on the FLO (floor)

You write letters on the FLO (floor)

okay, so I made the last line up. It happens.

LUCIANNA!

And we all know who she's missing right?_________.

You can fill in the blank on that one.

I spied this stunner on the Totally Papercrafts Challenge blog this morning.

The theme is black and white.

This card required (yes, required) it's own blogpost.

See that background paper?

The stuff in the very back?

A .50 saying stamp.

This one...

Repeated over and over again to make the most striking b/w paper.

Next paper...crackle dot ipaper...

And look at those 3 little white dots on the black.

The devil is in the details friends.

Finally our sweet little love bird

Lucianna inversed her to get white on black.

Then she did some expert shading and highlighting with a white prisma

and voila...

Darling...

get down on the FLO!

Yowza.

Now that is hot.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

A Silhouette Challenge from Less is More

2011-11-21T10:08:00.004-05:00

We are sponsoring the Less is More challenge this month.

The challenge through Friday is to create a card using the theme of silhouettes.

Perfect time and place to reprint Mel's Tutorial.

...create silhouettes from line art images:

DIGITAL SILHOUETTE:

Open the silhouette in Photoshop

(or other digital software that is

capable of filling images with solid colour.)

Fill all the areas of the line art image

Then print it & use your image:

This digital fill is how I did the ones I used on the cards above

(but not with a deep black. I like using black at 80% to get a silhouette

that reads as dark, but still shows some of the line art of the image.)

You can even get a funky patterned silhouette:

Simply fill the image with a pattern

(Please see this tutorial post if you'd like

to see how pattern filling works).

STAMPED SILHOUETTE:

Stamp the image & then simply colour it in:

To create a patterned stamped silhouette:

Stamp the line art image, then stamp & heat emboss a pattern over it

(with clear embossing powder) then colour it in.

So what's cookin' good lookin'?

Ready to be #100?

LESS IS MORE

And this just in...Lucianna accepted the challenge with this gorgeous silhouette...

LUCIANNA!

Pure class.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Chuffed for a challenge!

2011-11-18T10:18:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to be sponsoring

Totally PaperCrafts Friday Challenge

this week.

Who would think that black and white could be so inspiring?

Somehow it whittles away at all the fluff to show pure talent.

And MAN o MAN do we have talent!

(Insert drumroll here...)

DEBRA!

JESSICA!

LEIGH!

MEREDITH!

PIPERTAJA!

and our dear friend...

JOEY!

In the words of Coco:

Black has it all.

White too.

Their beauty is absolute.

It is the perfect harmony.

We'd love for you to be so inspired.

You have time.

While the pies are baking.

It could be a win/win.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Two little love bunnies, under a tree....

2011-11-17T10:40:00.000-05:00

DEBRA!

PIPERTAJA!

K.I.S.S.I.N.G.

First comes love.

Then comes marriage.

Then comes a bunny baby in a baby carriage.

(Amber is gonna have to get on that carriage thing

so my blogposts can rhyme!)

How precious is Debra's top anniversary card

and Pipertaja enters a winner at Less is More!

Time to start getting ready...

2011-11-16T13:15:00.000-05:00

for a merry little Christmas.

JESSICA!

Christmas Countdown

Sorry. Someone had to do it.

Did someone say leaf?

2011-11-15T12:12:00.001-05:00

We are still sponsoring the

Less is More challenge

through the rest of the month.

This weeks challenge is to create a

ONE LAYER CARD

(no embellies or add ons)

using the theme of

LEAVES

Look how beautiful Leigh's card is...

LEIGH!

Sometimes it is the hardest thing to keep things simple

but it creates such a calm and classy feeling to your work.

This challenge runs through Friday.

Next week there will be a new theme.

Speaking of leaves

Amber created some pretty new ipaper.

Perfect for your autumn creations.

Will you wait until Black Friday to shop?

2011-11-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Some people like the thrill of the hunt.

As for our Amber Girls,

they just like to shop all year round.

Rain, Hail, sleet or snow

you'll find our girls good to go...

MEREDITH!

DEBRA!

Happy shopping everyone!

P.S. Meredith told me where to buy that cute clear umbrella.

That is first on my list!

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Do you know what today is?

2011-11-11T11:31:00.000-05:00

No,

not referring to the Mayan apocalypse

not referring to Veteran's Day

not referring to Remembrance Day

not referring to 11/11/11

Today is the day that it really hits you.

Christmas is NEXT MONTH!!!!

That means it is D-Day on the get ready for Christmas front lines.

Time to spike the apple cider and craft like the wind!!!!

PIPERTAJA!

LEIGH!

JESSICA!

That should get the inspiration started!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

A time of thankfulness

2011-11-10T10:20:00.003-05:00

1. An incredible design team.

2. Less is More challenge.

3. A new release.

In pictures.

Below.

DEBRA!

JESSICA!

MEREDITH!

A few of our #1's entered our #2 with our #3!

Notice the clean lines, minimal elements and large open areas on these cards?

Those are the criteria for one of our favorite challenges...

LESS IS MORE

We are so chuffed to be the sponsors for the entire month.

This orange and red color challenge ends tomorrow

but there are three more yet to come,

one layer, theme and sketch.

Be sure to check.

And keep clickin'!
We have new ipaper and images in our

NEW RELEASE

It's like Christmas came early over there.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Pink. It's not just for October.

2011-11-09T11:04:00.002-05:00

Breast Cancer Awareness month is over.

Unfortunately breast cancer is not.

In October we see PINK everywhere.

NASCAR, Football, advertising, stamps.

And then PINK month is over.

But breast cancer is not.

We were so happy to see Leigh post this card on this pretty November day:

LEIGH!

Not only is it a beautiful card on it's own merit,

but it reminds us somehow that pink is never out of season.

Pink raises awareness.

Pink raises funds.

And someday there will be a cure.

And we'll have pink and stampers like Leigh to thank.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Flutter and spin

2011-11-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

As autumn leaves are fluttering beautifully to the ground...

DEBRA!

The raccoons are out taking a spin...

PIPERTAJA!

And like all good raccoons, Pipertaja tells us that this one spins like crazy.

Check out the Splitcoast stampers forum to learn how to make a spinner card.

Flutter and spin.

Bend and snap.

How do bunnies stay warm in winter?

2011-11-07T08:36:00.001-05:00

If they are love bunnies

they do the CHA-CHA-CHA!

MEREDITH!

Now you may never have actually SEEN

Love Bunnies doing the CHA-CHA-CHA.

That is because rabbits are crepuscular,

which simply means that while you are inside,

all toasty and warm, watching Dancing with the stars

the bunnies are outside in the cold and dark,

doing the CHA-CHA-CHA to keep warm.

It is obvious that Meredith knew this little known fact.

Len gives those Kiss.Kiss.Fluffy Bottoms a 10.

Amber Ink gives Meredith a 10.

Be sure to call in your own vote in the comments below.

As for the real DWTS, I'm torn this season between Mr. Nice Guy J.R.Martinez

and Mr. Bad Boy Maks. You?

It's an Amber Ink Thanksgiving Pinterfest!

2011-11-04T11:47:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I spruced up our Amber Ink Thanksgiving blessings board on Pinterest.

Amber Ink on PINTEREST!

And then I decided to put it in our sidebar

And now I decided to highlight a few.

So, if you need to send an invite how about this...

MEL!

If you need some cute name placecards how about this...

EMILY!

If you need some table decorations how about this...

KARIN!

If you need a sweet hostess gift how about this...

KARIN!

And if you need some recipes how about this...

PINTEREST THANKSGIVING RECIPES

But better set a timer

cuz if you're not careful,

November 24th will arrive

and it will be...

how about this...

Amber Ink. It's not just for stampin'!

2011-11-03T12:27:00.002-04:00

Did you know that ipaper comes in a 12 x 12 size too?

If you can handle it, we can too.

We're always thrilled when Amber Inkers use our products for scrappin'.

That's just what Leigh did this week.

LEIGH!

We love that TOO!

It got us looking at the old scrapbook ourselves!

Here are a few favorites from days gone by...

And that dear friends,

is a pretty darn amazing family album.

Don't you agree?

Even Superman needs a nod

2011-11-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

Do you have a Clark Kent in your life?

The quiet courageous one

who stands up to his conviction?

Who stands up for truth and justice?

We think a thank you card would be in order.

We think you will find this one inspiring...

DEBRA!

We sure did.

Go ahead.

Say thank you.

And watch your man of steel fly.

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Post Halloween Sweets

2011-11-01T19:01:00.000-04:00

Hope your pillow cases

were stuffed with the sweet stuff.

We found some sweets too!

Namely buttons and bows

and blue flowers

and

SNUFFLE BUNNIES!

Much more dentist and scale friendly.

MEREDITH!

Sweet right?

Okay, now can we puhleeze use our "get outta jail card"

and skip winter and head right to spring?

I can smell those violets

how about you?

I'm dreaming of a white Halloween?

2011-10-31T11:02:00.000-04:00

Well, the weather outside is frightful,

but our torchbearers as SO delightful.

We're batty for Jessica's doorknob candy holder.

It' getting filled with candy and delivered to her best friends kids.

L.U.C.K.Y.!

JESSICA!

And Pipertaja made an adorable card for her Godson

complete with a ghost reflector for the big day.

PIPERTAJA!

And now since it seems the goblins are invading my computer

and I need to take it in for a Halloween exorcism

I'll be back tomorrow with more Autumn treats!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Let the running begin!

2011-10-28T09:54:00.001-04:00

Catching the torch from Michelle Single...

Debra Miller's steady stride, warm heart and sharp mind create the perfect combination for a brisk November run in Wisconsin. As a Mechanical Engineer, her steel trap memory comes in handy not only to remember differential equations, but to recall events in great detail along with useless facts about the '80's. Her warm heart attracts the very best of friends, friends for whom she'll drive 350 miles to visit and attend stamping parties with. It is the same warm heart that created a card ministry which donates handmade cards every month to people who are home bound or might be lifted by a note of encouragement. Put on some Contemporary Christian, grab a cup of coffee and share the perfect blend @ http://creamcityangels.blogspot.com/

---------------------------------

Catching the torch from Kristin Robbins...

Keep it on the Christian Contemporary station but travel a bit further north with us to Manitoba Canada and the home of Leigh Penner. We love the title of Leigh's blog, TO THE FULL, which comes from John 10:10 "I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full." Live it to the full she does alongside her husband Cameron and three children, Austin (12), Johan (9) and Sage (7). As an example, this weekend Leigh is hosting a crop for 30 women in order to earn money for her forthcoming ministry trip to the Congo, and it's not the first time. Don't be nervous for her though. She preps for it by being a substitute high school teacher and she has her black belt in Tae Kwon Do (yes, she breaks boards with her bare feet ;) Her art is to the full too, from her photography to her scrapping and stamping. We're sure you will appreciate every last bite @ http://leighpenner.blogspot.com/

-------------------------------

Catching the torch from Sarah Gough...

Take one look at that baby picture and you can figure out that Meredith Winston's middle name is Joy. Meredith spreads that joy around a little Boston suburb, to her husband of 15 years, to two children (ages 7 and 5) to Katie, a pit bull mix who was rescued even before she was born, to scrapbooking, stamping, photography, crafting, cupcaking, reading, volunteering, blogging and to living. At one point Meredith was creating in a spare bedroom upstairs but those little sunbeams were getting trapped in isolation, so together with her husband they decided to change the rarely used dining room into a family art room. Now the entire family creates and joy radiates once again. Make sure to stop by for a bit of your own refreshment @ http://www.papercanteen.com/ .

--------------------------------

Catching the torch from Esther Porter...

Purple just happens to be Jessica's favorite color, so how serendipitous that she is running with November's purple torch. Sometimes things are just meant to be...like Jessica and her husband meeting on Valentines Day (how perfect is that?) or dreaming and reading Anne of Green Gables while growing up in the New York 'burbs and then moving to the country to raise two boys, 12 chickens and grow her own vegetables. A year ago she dreamt of starting a blog and now has over 500 followers! Jessica is currently dreaming of a new craft room, the kind you see in magazines or on Pinterest. We have no doubt that that dream will come true too. In the meantime she stays busy as a VP for the PTSO at her boys school and is single-handedly making over 100 birthday cards for the staff. We hope to see a few Amber Ink cards in the mix on Jessica's award winning blog @ http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com/

-------------------------

Pipertäjä is getting us ready for the holidays, winter weather, Santa, reindeer and snow from the blissfull Arctic region of Finland. The beauty of this is that as daylight gets shorter in Finland, crafty time gets longer! This brings the most inspirational of moments, when at night, with the lights off, the spark of inspiration strikes for the most brilliant of creative ideas. Pipertäjä simply turns on the light, pumps up an audio tape in her new craft area and creates some of the most gorgeous projects you have ever seen, but never the same one twice. You'd never guess that summertime is her favorite with it's sea of turquoise - because in winter...she seems to find heaven. See what we mean @ http://pipertaja.blogspot.com/

And they brought their chariots of fire!

2011-10-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

For some reason, our October torchbearers

brought William Blake's poem to mind.

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;

Bring me my Arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!

Bring me my Chariot of fire!

Did these ladies burn it or what?

How we loved watching their

torches, torches burning bright!

A dear little fawn

2011-10-26T09:09:00.000-04:00

Brought to you by SARAH!

Amber Ink Products in this post:

Pink, Clean and Simple

2011-10-25T09:32:00.001-04:00

As Leonardo (the artist, not the ninja) said:

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

and the pink?

Well...

La vie en rose.

MICHELLE!

SUSA!

Winter is a comin'

2011-10-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

Time to pick out a new fur

or maybe even some flannel.

Time to go shopping.

Esther brought out these little imps again.

Somehow I think she's made her point ;)

ESTHER!

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Tag it!

2011-10-21T09:17:00.001-04:00

It's never too early for a little holiday cheer!

Especially when you have Kristin in the mix.

KRISTIN!

She's getting pinned!

We'd love for you to join the ~~addiction~~ fun

@ http://pinterest.com/amberink/

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Do you think the Fall pond is cheerless?

2011-10-20T11:12:00.000-04:00

A closer look under the water reveals...

SUSA!

Fish in love!

And in the springtime,

there will be lots of new baby fish ;)

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Well owl be darn!

2011-10-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

Another reason to love digi's...

Esther took this big happy pumpkin...

and with a little digi magic

turned it into a little ittle bitty pumpkin

and tucked it under owlies wing

instead of the heart...

and added her magic touch and

WHOOOOOOO.....t.....

Whoooooo's the clever one now?

ESTHER!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Onnea = Aloha

2011-10-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

You know how "Aloha" basically means everything good?

I think maybe "onnea" in Finnish does too.

So here's a little bit of Aloha and Onnea this Tuesday morning.

SUSA!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Good morning Monday!

2011-10-17T11:51:00.001-04:00

Since it is a Monday, I like to pile the happiness on.

You never know exactly where the week will take you,

(I mean just in case you get thrown a curve ball)

so it's nice to start it with hope and delight.

Kristin and Esther hit home runs.

KRISTIN!

ESTHER!

Monday looks better already ;)

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Pass the Kraft...

2011-10-14T11:47:00.000-04:00

No, not the blue box with the cheese envelope.

The brown paper through the printer kind.

But before you hit "print"

doctor it up with some Amber Ink ipaper.

It makes for a warm and fuzzy experience.

Just like the kind with the cheese envelope.

MICHELLE!

And now for some past Kraft winners...

ANGELA!

JULIE!

Now break out the industrial pack

because as our girls could tell you,

it's rather addicting!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

An artist's spin

2011-10-13T12:26:00.001-04:00

What happens when you take Spin Pin ipaper

and put it in the hands of an artist?

You get an artist's spin.

SUSA!

And one that we will pin.

On Pinterest.

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Is my crown straight?

2011-10-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

It hardly matters when you look as cute as this:

KRISTIN!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Avoid eye contact

2011-10-11T09:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's the only way to get what you want.

Especially if you are as cute as this little bunny...

SARAH!

And especially when you know that...

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Beauty, elegance, charm, humor

2011-10-10T11:16:00.000-04:00

and a whole lot of really great quotes.

Audrey Hepburn was ahead of her time.

She understood the strength of laughter.

She understood the strength of friendship.

She believed in pink and she believed in miracles.

So do we.

ESTHER!

MICHELLE!

Amber Ink Products used in this post are from our Pink Collection

Nailed it!

2011-10-07T12:54:00.000-04:00

SUSA!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

20% off to keep you in the pink

2011-10-06T13:43:00.002-04:00

Anything from the PINK collection

is 20% off throughout the month of October.

We hope you will use it

to make something special.

Check out through Paypal

and on page two

put in code:

Pink20%

Amber Ink ipaper: A testimonial...

2011-10-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

We just love stuff like this.

We really do.

As excerpted from Kristin Robbins:

My first project is Birthday Banner and Princess Wands using Amber Ink iPaper. I used Tiny Picnic Gingham Whisper and this is my first time ever using digital paper. I am thrilled to death at how easy it was and how wonderful it was to coordinate my projects!
This year my dd chose "Princess Theme" and I went all-in (don't I every year?? We won't revisit the hours I stayed up creating Gotham City for my son in 2010). Banners are HUGE and I had just bought the Cricut Princess Party Event cartridge so of course I needed patterned paper for the banner. I ended up printing 2 sheets since the first sheet wasn't enough... that's right... I made the cardstock banner a bit too big (and we ALL know I had enough cardstock to make my banner 4 times larger!) but I just went to my printer and out pops another perfectly coordinating gingham patterned paper. The cricut did all the work after that, of course. I just assembled and bam, the banner was done!
Well, then a few days passed and I was putting together the "goodie tins" for the girls (the boys will be knights and they get silver tins... I know, cute) and realized that the cartridge had wands in it. Well, it's a princess party and I wanted wands. I showed my dd and so I started cutting out the wands. The "coordinating layer" *had* to match my banner since it will all be on display on the same table. Out came a couple more sheets of pattern paper! SO EASY!!!
I am completely sold on digital paper now.

And we're completely sold on Kristin.

Wanna see?

Happy Bday dd.

P.S. All Amber Ink ipapers are sold individually for you to coordinate as you please.
Each pattern comes in three shades of full strength, whisper and hint.
Most patterns come in large and tiny.
All ipapers can be printed in either 12 x 12 or 8 1/2 x 11.

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

We're pushing PINK!

2011-10-04T10:29:00.003-04:00

October is Rally time.

People all over the world join forces to help raise awareness about Breast Cancer.

Over at SCS there is a month long card making event called

HOPE YOU CAN CLING TO

There are challenges, and prizes and galleries full of cards.

Many of those cards will be sent to patients and the families or friends of patients at
MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Last year 2100 cards, made by 226 people were donated.

Here's one for Lee's special challenge, made by our very own...

MICHELLE!

From now through October 14th

there is another opportunity to help.

You can make any paper project using the color pink,

Link it up and also hopefully donate them to the

PA Breast Cancer Coalition

The cards will be given to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

in their Friends Like Me™ carepackages.

LINK UP FOR PINK

For anyone wanting to participate

we are offering some super cute ipaper at no charge,

that's right...Free...

Put it in your shopping cart

HERE

Use code PINKoct2

when you check out

(page 2 of paypal)

Put this one in your shopping cart

HERE

Use code Pinkoct1

when you check out

(page 2 of paypal)

And for the entire month of October

We have created a "think pink" collection.

Any item in this collection

will receive a 20% discount by using this code:

Pink20%

when you check out through paypal.

Hopefully that will help with the postage when you mail your

plethora of pink to some people who could really use
a little bit of extra love and hope right now.

First projects, Fun Guys and Little Witches

2011-10-03T11:02:00.000-04:00

I want to say "don't try this at home"

just because our new torchbearers

are already making it look so easy.

Instead, I will say "DO try this at home".

Especially if you have been a little witchy lately...

ESTHER!

Maybe the remorse combined with a card

can get a girl back on the right track.

Especially if your significant other is a fun guy.

SARAH!

Yep. That ought to put you in the pink again.

Speaking of pink...

Stop by tomorrow for a plethora of it!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

CATCH!

2011-09-30T09:55:00.004-04:00

Check out the new flames!

Catching the torch from Steph Herbert....

Sarah Gough is our first torchbearer from Wellington New Zealand, aka the capital of cool. With a couple of World Cup Rugby quarter finals happening during her run we will be cutting a little slack as long as she promises to run around the “stadium of four million” carrying her pink Amber Ink torch. If you aren’t familiar with Sarah through the MFT or Riley Design Teams, take our word that it is very appropriate that she lives in the capital of cool. They may have even named it after her. Sarah and husband Shanan borrow space from a couple of cats named Luna (a Chinchilla Persian) and Gabriel (a Balinese). As a full time student, we can understand the love for pizza and Coke Zero but we still aren’t sure where Sarah finds the time to create such quality art so prolifically. Perhaps a clue can be found when she was teaching a few dozen people in a class, went to close an ink pad, pushed too hard and watched it pop out of the holder a few feet away. Watch her tap into the creative zone @ http://thinkingstamps.blogspot.com/

.................................................................

Catching the torch from Mama Pickle, Teresa....

Michelle Single is married (yeah, like she hasn’t heard that one before ;) with two furry kids. The German Shephard is named Gandolf aka Gandy and dressed as Yoda last Halloween while Latte, aka Stinky is a Pug and paraded as a banana split.. She loves an iced quad venti non-fat 3-splenda latte from Starbucks and once performed a stamp room exorcism, for a certain crafty space that had obviously become possessed. Just in case you think this Chicago based corporate investment professional might not have a serious side, better get your hanky out. While serving in Iraq, Michelle had the privilege of holding the hand and escorting the first little girl ever to go to school in that country. You know you http://www.wannastamp.com/

.................................................................

Catching the torch from Lucianna Dilsaver....

If red were the color of an Amber Ink torch, then Esther Porter would be carrying it. As it is, purple is as close as we can get. Not only is red Esther’s favorite color, but Strawberry Rhubarb pie is her favorite food and passion is her middle name. Growing up, Esther dreamed of getting married and having a family. She found it in Mike, two beautiful daughters and two adorable grandchildren. Her zest for life often finds her drinking one too many cups of coffee (especially Starbuck Frappucino’s ) having a foot race with her three year old grandson or pampering her poodle Jacquette. Red is the color of a stop sign because it grabs our attention. We promise, Esther's optimism and skill will grab yours too @ http://forthejoyofcreating.blogspot.com/

.................................................................

Catching the torch from SannaS....

Susanna Sirviö's friends call her by a thousand nicknames, so it is fitting that she is our 5^th torchbearer from the land of a thousand lakes. Since her favorite nickname is Susa, that is what we will call her too. We are falling in love with the beauty of Finland (where really there are over 180,000 lakes!) and the beautiful handiwork and enthusiasm of this talented group. Susa lives with her husband, their two children and their miniature schnauzer, Hilla. She sometimes stays up just a little too late at night crafting or crocheting in her “craft room with a bed” (some might call it a bedroom, but Susa calls it her craft room with a bed;) Dust off the glitter, grab a few patkis to share and snuggle in @ http://susankortit.blogspot.com/

---------------------------------------

Catching the torch from Jessica Davis....

As a Doctor of Audiology (with a private practice in Texas), we already know that Kristin Robbins has the hearing thing down. She also listens to two kids who call her mom and “the world’s best husband” who asks questions like “what color would you like that new craft room painted?” and “would you like to go out with the girls tonight?” Um..yes…we already said “the world’s best husband” part right? She also loves to hear the laughter of good friends, the pop of a can of Cherry Dr. Pepper and the tunes of Daughtry of Tenth Avenue North. Kristin once dreamed of being an actress, so I’m sure she won’t mind hearing the applause once you see her creations @ http://kristinshappy.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to stop by their blogs to cheer them on!

Go Teams GO!

And now for the victory lap!

2011-09-29T08:48:00.000-04:00

Our torchbearers have spent an entire month

creating some wonderfully inspired cards

all while carrying brightly colored flaming hot torches.

The champagne is on ice and almost ready to be popped.

Time to blow those horns and give those noisemakers a whirl

FOR...

JESSICA!

LUCIANNA!

SANNA!

STEPH!

TERESA!

Wow!

If I had been a cheerleader in high school

I'd certainly be coming up with a stomp and a rah, rah, rah.

There are some innovations in that collection

and coloring skills extraordinaire.

Don't even get me going on the composition and creativity.

And now...

Runners to your marks!!!

Tomorrow is the day.

Hold on to your socks.

They just might get blown off.

Seas the Day.

2011-09-28T11:20:00.001-04:00

JESSICA!

Amber Ink products used in this post:

Kutey Karin's Kitchy Kandy

2011-09-27T13:40:00.002-04:00

Karin Martin co designed two of our favorite sets of all time.

Lucky for you it is one of her favorite things too

which means you just might win them in her favorite things giveaway this week.

If you win, Amber is working on some matching ipaper

which just might be done in the nick of time.

No doubt that will become one of our favorite things too.

It's as easy as pie to enter.

1. GO TO KARIN's Blog.

2. Become a follower

3. Leave a comment that you want IN on the draw.

4. Wait for the lucky phone call.

5. Dream of the cards you can make:

Catch me if you can...

2011-09-26T12:57:00.002-04:00

and other mile high musings.

Last night I sat down with my ~~three martinis~~ 7Up on the rocks

and jumped into the time machine that took me back to the days of Pan Am.

TERESA!

I went around the world with them

in both of our glory days.

Nowadays I just watch it on the tube...and giggle a bit...

and occassionally get the scoop from Amber

about things like how she had to step over Christina Ricci

sitting on her stoop, smoking a cigarette last week.

(They've been filming the series in Amber's neighborhood)

Just like the old days.

Let me tell you 'bout the fish and the bees and the flower and the seas...

2011-09-23T10:03:00.000-04:00

Sorry. Best I could come up with on short notice ;)

Did I mention how cool our current torchbearers are?

Okay, just let these pictures tell that story.

Oh, and if you have a sec, click on their names below the pictures

and tell them how cool they are.

Cuz they are.

LUCIANNA!

(check out those bubbles!)

SANNA!

(Check out that ipaper flower!)

Wishing you a good things weekend...

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Catching up on some mending.

2011-09-22T11:40:00.001-04:00

Are we keeping you in stitches?

The new ipaper and sewing girls

are stacking up.

But they will be in the store when some mending gets done.

TERESA!

What a seamstress!

Sketch those ideas. We'll get those patterns to you soon.

Don't forget...Project Runway is tonight.

Who are you rooting for?

WOYWW 1960

2011-09-21T00:54:00.001-04:00

Well, not really 1960

but they're filming on Amber's street again.

And television land is pretending it is 1960.

The dead giveaway isn't the camera's or the girls in blue,

but the prices on this cab...

So when you are watching the premiere of

the Pan Am girls

Will it be coffee or will it be tea?

(photos from pardonmeforasking)

Check out the real numbers (120 I think) at

the Head Flight Attendant Julia's cabin.

How does a stamper say KUDOS?

2011-09-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

With a rock stamp and some paper and some scissors of course.

At least that's how Jessica does it.

JESSICA!

Yeah. And we think Jessica rocks too ;)

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Sweet Cupcakes!

2011-09-19T11:52:00.001-04:00

We are sponsoring the cupcake challenge this week

and boy is this one sweet!

What do you think?

SuhWeet right?

This is what they mean when they say

you are so sweet, just by looking at you,

you give me a toothache;)

At least that is what the men say

in Amber's Italian neighborhood.

So you have until noon on Saturday to

make something that inspires you from

this photo, do a blogpost and link it up.

Here's how our brilliant girls interpretted:

LUCIANNA!

Sanna!

JESSICA!

(how cute - a carrot cake!)

STEPH!

Happy Monday.

Hope your week is an inspired one.

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Sew like the wind.

2011-09-16T11:41:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'll admit it.

I love The Three Amigos .

I also love that when we gave our torchbearers

some new images to play with

they started to "sew like the wind"!

JESSICA!

(Sew sweet of you)

LUCIANNA!

(Sew glad we are friends)

STEPH!

(Sew crafty!)

So, so fun.

Coming to an Amber Ink store near you very soon!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

The other side of the mushroom

2011-09-13T10:58:00.000-04:00

In which Alice has a conversation with a caterpillar

and she is dissatisfied that she is only three inches tall.

One side will make you grow taller,

and the other side will make you grow shorter.'

`One side of WHAT? The other side of WHAT?

' thought Alice to herself.

`Of the mushroom,' said the Caterpillar, just as if she had asked it aloud; 

SANNA!

(obviously Alice or the caterpillar didn't know about digi's,

which you can make as big or small as you'd like!)

And coming SOON to an Amber Ink store near you -

our new

ALICE DIAMOND iPAPER

You have seen a sampling in some recent torchbearer projects.

You will be able to buy some for yourself before the week is out.

Here is a sneak:

And in the meantime, stay away from tiny caterpillars smoking hookah pipes in your backyard.

TAIL end of summer

2011-09-12T09:32:00.002-04:00

And you can't get much cuter than a mermaid tail end...

JESSICA!

(See the deets and personal sweets by following the link)

And Steph's card makes me want summer never to end...

STEPH!

The ipaper is so cheerful, the butterfly and sentiment so sunny.

Hopefully it will be back soon.

Meanwhile...we hope you have an extra sunny week.

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

Want the latest most awesome blogging tool and want it for FREE?

2011-09-09T13:27:00.002-04:00

Just think Pinterest for bloggers.
One of the reasons we love Pinterest
is because a picture is worth like a kazillion words right?

It's just easier to relate to a picture of something.
Especially when you are in a hurry and just want the link already!

Stampers are the top dogs of enabling and sharing information.

Up until now, that could take extra energy

- time that should be put into making stuff.

At Amber Ink we'd been looking for a picture linker for awhile.

Amber was talking about making something herself.

And then we saw it!

We saw it on

Vicky Papaioannou's blog.

At the bottom of each blogpost she had little boxes

that linked to her sources for supplies.

How'd she do that?

The dots were finally connected when we found out that Aris Korbetis,

was her Kermit the Frog.

And since we already knew that Aris was the nicest guy on the planet

we jumped at becoming beta testers for his new link manager.

We love, love, love the idea of having little thumbs

at the bottom of our posts that link directly to Amber Ink product in the store.

That's how we use it, but there are so many ways. We've linked up a few to give you some ideas.Let your brilliance be your guide.
Free lunch will be served at Inlinkz until December.And you can get pretty phat by then ;)Just in time for some New Year's resolutions.
Use Chrome or Firefox to sign in to http://www.inlinkz.com/And register using this code7902264

We'll keep it on our sidebar

Until it's time to start that New Year's diet.

A few samples of how to use the new Inlinkz link manager:

J'Adore

2011-09-08T10:47:00.001-04:00

SannaS has made something so pretty it breaks our heart! Every once in a while we get to see a card that just ooooozes fun and kitch and cute Come and worship at the crackle dots

Truly using the artist's spirit this card is a nod to everything we love. I know it makes my heart beat faster. Run on over to see it up close and personal in the "heart land".

WOYWW

2011-09-07T00:46:00.002-04:00

I organize dis.

I am the owner of a new phone and I am sad at the loss of quality from the old phone's pictures... sigh. I will try to get a handle on it and in the meantime, you run along to Julia's like good little WOYWWers

If you would like to bullet point and blog your week and link to my New York Minute blog post I would love to see what you've been up to that way too! xoxo

Sunny Skies Here to Stay

2011-09-05T11:08:00.001-04:00

Oh Happy Day!

Sherbert Ink isn't letting anything dampen her spirits. She's running through rain, through sleet, through snow, well... soon enough. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it! Labor day has kicked off here in the states and we know that it's just a matter of time before we're donning those galoshes to trudge on through the elements.

Let's adopt Steph's attitude and look up towards the sun. We're not going to let anything dampen our spirits today! Here's hoping you have a day of rest and relaxation in front of you!

Pinterested?

2011-09-02T11:01:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been addicted to something?

Hahaha...know your audience Pam

Anyhow...thanks to MEL...We've been introduced to Pinterest.

I read a blog that said:
"okay, I'll invite you, but don't blame me if three days from now
you are still sitting in front of the computer in your PJ's."

I am on day 2.
At first I only wanted to create it for AmberInk.
The bylaws say something about self promotion.
Day one was for me.
Teresa and Mel found me.
I became an addict w/in one minute.

Then I went to bed.
I woke up at the cracka and realized that like in all social media
the rules change and things grow organically.

So Day two is for Amber Ink.
Here is what I have so far:

I think you can click HERE to see it for real.

It is the coolest thing.
And it is SO easy.

We'll have a pin button soon.

I'm keeping this short.
I have an addiction to feed.
Thank goodness for three day weekends.

First Projects - Part Deux

2011-09-01T09:02:00.001-04:00

Today we share Lucianna's first project.

Lucianna has an eye for composition.

Let's play a little game.

Say for example you could only use 5 of these images:

What would they be?

How would you put them together?

Oh...and it has to be a birthday card.

Did you get the picture in your mind?

Lucianna chose the two little fish with birthday hats.

She also chose the fishing pole and switched out the mistletoe for the "birthday fishes" sentiment.

And don't forget the bubbles.

She also used a couple of pieces of ipaper.

Another cool thing about ipaper?

She wanted a more orangy color to match

her color scheme. Simple. Just print on orange.

LUCIANNA!

Sea what we mean?

Fintastic.

P.S. Happy Birthday Fishes go out to Lucianna's oldest daughter. Hope it was a happy one!

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

First Projects...Part One.

2011-08-31T10:03:00.004-04:00

And they're off!

And aren't we impressed.

First out of the gates is...

JESSICA!

There are just so many things we love about this card!

New ipaper for one.

(coming your way soon -ish).

And those flowers! A handmade gift from Suzanne.

Be sure to click the links for more 411.

Next up...

SANNA!

Listen up people.

This was Sanna's first digi card!!

Everything printed off of her computer-

(yep, more of that new ipaper)

except the fluff on the bunny tail.

Sanna's going carrots and we're going bananas.

Good one!

And another first time ipaperer...

TERESA!

Teresa said:

"This was also my first time to play with Digi Papers!

I took my files down to Office Depot and printed out whole sheets!

It was great!"

And look at all the fun color and the sparkly rock!

We'll be back tomorrow with Part Deux.

You won't want to miss Lucianna's and Steph's cards.

We've had a peek and can tell ya...

It's gonna be gooood.

Amber Ink Products used in this post:

The Torchbearers are Coming! The Torchbearers are Coming!

2011-08-30T06:23:00.009-04:00

Check out the new flames!

Catching the torch from The Paper Princess @ http://www.create-with-joy.com/

Steph Herbert joins us from Sherbert Ink in Portland, Oregon. Sherbert (aka sherbet) just happens to be one of our very favorite frozen delights and Steph serves it up fruity and delicious. Her dream growing up was to be Anne of Green Gables, and although that didn’t exactly happen, she does have an E in her name and she did find her Gilbert Blythe (aka DH). They make a perfect pear. With four kiddos and a part time job it’s amazing that she never runs out of juice. Her two favorite hang-outs are the beach with the kids or her Stamping Studio with lots of Copic flavors. Rasberry cordial anyone? We think you’ll find her plum amazing!

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Catching the torch from Mel McCarthy @ http://melstampz.blogspot.com/

You want suh-weet? You want Dill? You’ll find it all at Mama Pickle’s. Teresa is a military transplant from Iowa living in Virginia with a Mr. Pickle (when the Army lets her have him), a spicy hot Chihuahua mix and a zesty little pickle boy who just started in school by the name of…wait for it… Dillon! Our stamping veteran lives on coffee and country music and usually has an ebook and an audio book going simultaneously. With a clean surface and the right ingredients she’ll make something kosher every time. The family is moving to Germany soon – guess we’ll be calling her the picklemeister! Try a sampling for yourself @ http://mamapickle.blogspot.com/

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Catching the torch from Adrian Allen @ http://byadrian4u.blogspot.com/

It’s hard to believe that Lucianna Dilsaver has only been stamping for a year, but given her attention to detail and artistic vision it becomes a little more understandable. With a husband, four children and a management position she sometimes dreams of swinging in a hammock, sipping some exotic pineapple concoction as cool tradewinds blow, while music plays in the background. Of course she would be wearing shoes since she worries about things becoming embedded in her feet and multiplying, and she would also have to disinfect the hammock first because you never know where it might have been and no mosquitoes would be allowed. Back in Oregon, IRL there is always coffee perking, music playing and magic happening and then…it’s on to the next one. Catch it quick @ http://dilsaverdesigns.blogspot.com/

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Catching the torch from Paula @ http://pammun.blogspot.com/

Our bronze torch is working it’s way to the south of Finland to the beautiful town of Heniola, which is situated between two lakes. A waterway runs through the town keeping everything connected. On sunny days you’ll find Sanna running to the lake with Nuusku and Napsu, her Golden Retrievers and soaking up the warmth. If she’s not there, she can be found sipping a coke with her (almost) husband or whipping up some yummy pasta. Our happy little red head may have pinkies that are skewed, but she can still weild her H20’s like an expert to create the most beautiful cards! Click to the land of a thousand lakes and let SannaS be your guide @ http://korttipajasannas.blogspot.com/

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Catching the torch from Suzanne Dahlberg @ http://thecardyard.blogspot.com/

Jessica Davis follows her heart. Married to her high school sweetheart, they’ve adopted three kids together – Boz, Nando and Garrett (two dogs and a cat in case you’re wondering;) For work, Jessica is an activities director for Seniors. For play she travels and camps with the gang in her pretty new RV. She also knits wonderful creations, reads on her new Kindle, picks fruit and preserves it, plays board games, attends stamping conventions and makes preparations for a new human baby niece on the way. Her favorite food? Her mom’s homemade mac and cheese. Prepare to have your heart warmed @ http://thepaperparade.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to stop by their blogs to cheer them on!

Go Teams GO!